The most dreadful public calamity could not have spread more
general consternation, or more profound and sincere grief among the Mesolonghiots, than the
unexpected news of Lord Byron’s death. During the
few months he had lived among them, he had given so many proofs of the sincerity and extent
of his zeal for the advancement of their best interests; he had, with so much generosity,
sacrificed considerable sums to that purpose; he had relieved the distress of so many
unfortunate persons, that every one looked upon him as a father and public benefactor.
These titles were not, as they mostly are, the incense of adulation, but the spontaneous
tribute of overflowing gratitude. He had succeeded in inspiring the soldiers with the
brightest and most sanguine expectations. Full of confidence in a chief they loved, they
would have followed him in the boldest enterprises. To-day they must follow the corpse of
him, whom they received but yesterday with the liveliest acclamations. The inhabitants of
the surrounding country had flocked to Mesolonghi to celebrate the feasts of Easter; but
these days of rejoicing were changed into days of unaffected mourning. On the 22d the
burial ceremony was performed with all possible pomp. But the heartfelt tears of an entire
population were its finest ornament. Tricoupi
pronounced on the occasion a funeral oration, which did
| 146 | MEMOIRS ON GREECE. |
On the 23d of April Mr. E. Trelawney arrived at Mesolonghi. Scarcely had he been informed by Mr. Finlay of Lord Byron’s indisposition, than he left Salona, and hastened to visit his friend. But he arrived only to imprint a last kiss on his pallid lips. He was bearer of several despatches from his hero and friend Odysseus; by which his lordship was entreated not to disappoint the hopes of the capitani and primates, assembled at Salona, but to come immediately to assist them by his counsels. So great indeed was his impatience to have an interview with him, that he had, for some weeks previous, used every means to induce him to quit Mesolonghi: and notwithstanding Mavrocordato’s endeavours to dissuade him, he would assuredly have undertaken the journey, had he not been prevented by the inclemency of the season, the affair of Caraiscachi, and lastly by his illness.
Negris and Sophanopoulo, the most intriguing and unprincipled men in existence, had
imagined this assembly. It required no more to place Mavrocordato on his guard. He could easily foresee, that the man, who, once
secretary of state, was, on account of his utter unworthiness, turned out of his situation,
and had embraced Colocotrone’s and afterwards
Odysseus’ party, teaching them the means of
subverting the constitution, which he himself had been instrumental
| MEMOIRS ON GREECE. | 147 |
Among the many erroneous observations, made by various writers, none is
more palpable, than that the mass of the Greek population was averse to a king. As to their
pretended attachment to a republican form of government, the assumption is not only
gratuitous, but absurd. Throwing off the Turkish yoke was the only object, the common
people had in view in taking up arms. Their ignorance and depravity did not permit them to
see an inch further. How could they then appreciate the blessings of civil
| 148 | MEMOIRS ON GREECE. |
Weary of the numberless vexations of an undisciplined soldiery, and of the complete anarchy, in which they lived, the common people sighed after a deliverer, who they thought could only be a king. So great indeed was their misery, that to better their condition they would gladly have submitted not only to the monarchical, but to any other form of government, except that of their own countrymen or the Turkish. How often has the question been put to me—“Will not the European powers send us a king to govern us? will not the English take us under their protection? Slaves we were under the Turks, but are we not equally so under our capitani and primates? We may change them; but will not their successors practise the same extortions, and endeavour to enrich themselves at our expense? Who but a foreigner can terminate the evils, arising from our discords?”
The only persons to whom the idea of a king was obnoxious were those petty tyrants and their followers, who felt that their destruction would be the first step taken towards the establishment of good order. These hoped to perpetuate the reign of confusion; that, undisturbed, they might continue to suck the blood and substance of the country.
The motive, which rendered Odysseus so
very anxious to engage Lord Byron’s friendship,
was the information which had reached him, that the Greek Loan, which had been negotiated
in London, would shortly be in Greece, and that his lordship had been appointed chief
commissioner for its partition and employment. He readily foresaw, that were Lord
Byron to place it entirely in the hands of the government,
| MEMOIRS ON GREECE. | 149 |
Lord Byron was a man not to be imposed upon by
appearances. He judged the tree by the fruit it bore; he estimated Odysseus therefore at his just value. But had
Odysseus been of a less objectionable character, nothing could
have induced Lord Byron to deviate from the line of conduct, which he
had traced out to himself; for it was the result of mature consideration. To gain the
esteem and confidence of all parties as much as possible, appeared to him necessary for the
execution of his plans. Accordingly, he accepted the invitation of
Odysseus, persuaded, that, during an interview, he should be able
to bring him over to the government, by virtue of the omnipotent golden talisman, intrusted
to his hands. He thought it necessary to weaken, but not to destroy the power of the
capitani; for he considered them essential to the defence of Greece; more especially in
that desultory warfare which its topography favours so highly. The most lamentable
consequence of his death, for this country, was, perhaps, in the circumstance that the
Loan, which, placed under his direction, might have operated wonders, fell into the hands
of narrow-minded men, who dedicated it to carrying on the civil war, rather to satisfy
their petty
| 150 | MEMOIRS ON GREECE. |
No sooner did the news of Lord Byron’s death reach Salona, than letters were despatched by Colonel Stanhope to Mr. Trelawney; who when he had perused them, sailed instantly for Zante (May 6th), where he was directed to apprise those, to whom the Loan had been addressed, not to deliver any portion of it to the Greek government, before it had given a statement of the most pressing wants of the state and the actual force of the army, with guarantees to ensure the payment. Odysseus wrote to them in the same sense, and indeed no measure could be more conformable to the wishes of the factions.
Colocotrone, Petrobey, &c. sent also agents to Zante, who protested against the delivery of the Loan to the existing government. Had they not been so powerfully operated upon by avarice, the capitani might, by dedicating only a small portion of their wealth to the payment of their soldiers, have commanded the majority of the population, capable of bearing arms, and in a few days completely destroyed the government. But not one of them would make the slightest sacrifice! This narrow-minded policy, which had hitherto proved so great an obstacle to the establishment of the constitution, became, in this instance, its only safeguard; for no sooner was the money remitted into the hands of the authorities in administration, than its attraction proved so powerful that the chiefs were abandoned even by their most zealous followers; and several of the capitani themselves rallied around the standard of government.
Mr. Trelawney occupies so romantic a place in
| MEMOIRS ON GREECE. | 151 |
| 152 | MEMOIRS ON GREECE. |
At length, in a fit of nostalgia, he determined on returning home, the place of his birth appearing to him then dearer than the three Arabias. His native air soon cured him of this intermittent paroxysm, for he found Cornishmen a tame set of persons. Growing weary of home, he passed over to Italy, where more room was afforded to indulge his oriental habits. He formed there an acquaintance with Lord Byron, who derived no little pleasure from the company of so singular a character. He invited him to accompany him into Spain; but hearing of the disasters, the constitutional party had sustained, he proposed going to Greece. Arrived at Cephalonia, Trelawney discovered that Lord Byron was not romantic enough to be his companion; and he started in consequence for Peloponnesus; where having roamed in vain in quest of a hero, he passed over to Athens. There he met with Odysseus; and so powerful is the invisible force of sympathy, that, although they could not understand each other’s language, they became in an instant, intimate friends.
According to Trelawney, Odysseus was the personification of the beau ideal of every manly perfection, mental and
bodily. He swore by him, and imitated him in the minutest actions. His dress, gait, air and
address were not only perfectly similar, but he piqued himself even in being as dirty;
having as much vermin, and letting them loose from his fingers in the same dignified manner
as if sparing a conquered enemy. This ridiculous spirit of imitation was in other respects
very useful to him; for it enabled him to endure the privations and hardships, inseparable
from the Greek mode of warfare, with as much apparent indifference as his prototype;
sleeping on
| MEMOIRS ON GREECE. | 153 |
| ≪ PREV | NEXT ≫ |
